An exhibition telling the story of the vital role Britain’s railway and its staff played in World War One is on show at Manchester Victoria station.
Manchester was crucial in the war effort.
During World War One, the Manchester Regiment formed an extra 38 battalions in addition to the pre-war establishment of two Regular and two Militia and six Territorial Battalions.
This was mainly due to the volume of volunteers. It was awarded 72 Battle Honours and 11 Victoria Crosses and lost 13,770 men during the course of the war.
The exhibition will sit alongside the Soldiers Gate, which soldiers used to pass through prior to departing to on trains taking them to war.
As part of the wider redevelopment of Manchester Victoria station by Network Rail, the Soldiers’ Gate is being refurbished and will include a new feature in the original gateway as a permanent reminder of the role the city played.
The exhibition has been put together by produced by the Rail Delivery Group, which brings together Network Rail and the owners of Britain’s passenger and freight train operators.
It also tells the story of the women who kept the railway running when large numbers of men left to fight, sowing the seeds of social change in the process.
10,422 members of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway staff (27% of the total staff employed) served in the armed forces during World War One.
Of these, 1465 railway men lost their lives during World War One. They are commemorated on a plaque displayed at Manchester Victoria, one of three war memorials at the station.
Part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway’s works were given over to the manufacture of weapons, and from June 1915 onwards, around 2,200 shells were made every week.
After war was declared at 11pm on 4 August 1914, rail helped Britain’s armed forces to mobilise. The fast movement of troops from across the country, including cities such as Manchester, to the docks at Southampton was crucial.
Michael Roberts, director general of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “As the country continues to commemorate World War One, the exhibition marks the important contribution made by the railway during the conflict which also saw men from across the region depart Manchester by train to travel to the front line.
“The pictures and words in the exhibition, which has been touring some of Britain’s biggest stations since August 2014, also tells the story of how women kept the railway running when so many men left for war, meaning vital supplies were still able to reach our troops in France.”
The exhibition will remain at Manchester Victoria station until 28 March.
